Simon Belmont
Simon Belmont was the heir to the renowned Vampire Killer whip and of the Belmont clan and became the most famous vampire hunter. He was born around the year 1669. Simon grew up hearing stories of his great ancestors that who had defeated Dracula, along with those who helped them. As he trained in the ways of the whip, he would often wonder how he compared to these legendary warriors. At the age of 22 in 1691, he would be given the opportunity to prove himself worthy of his family's legacy. On Easter Day, 100 years after he was defeated by Christopher Belmont, Count Dracula had returned. He was reawakened by a dark order of humans on Easter Day during a dark mass in an abandoned monastery. Simon was determined to end the threat of a new reign of terror, and entered Dracula's Castle alone to face the Count. Simon slew Dracula's servants and then faced off against Dracula himself as his ancestors had. Unable to kill him in the battle and unbeknownst to Simon at the time, Dracula had managed to place a curse on a wound he inflicted on Simon's back. The curse that Dracula had placed upon Simon 7 years ago slowly began to ravage his body. He began to think that his death was near. One night, six years after he returned from the time rift, he was contemplating his situation at his family's cemetery. Simon was able to find each of the remains that had been gathered by Dracula's servants and placed in their strongholds in various mansions throughout the land. He returned to the site of the ruins of Dracula's castle, which was abandoned by humans and monsters alike, and placed his remains there. However, through the power of a sixth body piece, the fang, Dracula was revived. Simon managed to defeat him a second time. This time, he burned his remains and his curse was lifted. He buried what was left of Dracula in a graveyard. He was forever remembered for his bravery. Battle vs. Sir Daniel Fortesque (by Drayco90) Simon Belmont stood in the shadows of the bastion before him- its gothic peaks and buttresses the unmistakable architecture of his family’s long time foe, the Vampiric dark lord himself, Dracula. Many times, Simon had thrown himself into the heat of battle against hordes of ghouls and beasts to overcome Dracula, just like his father before him, going all the way back to the adventures of the great Trevor Belmont. For a brief moment, the vampire slayer had honestly believed that his work was done- not only had he slain the Count, but shortly afterwards he squashed a ritual meant to bring him back, burning each of his fallen foe’s six remaining pieces into nothingness. “Foolishness.” He thought to himself. “Time and time again Dracula dies, and time and time again he is reborn. It only made sense that during this time of great conflict, he would attempt to unleash his wicked sorcery on the innocent again. But no matter how many times the beast is reborn, no matter how many armies he raises against us, the Belmont Clan is sworn to see him to his end- in this I shall never falter. For the third time, Dracula dies by my hands tonight.” The veteran warrior strode forward towards the ancient, iron gates that stood before him- blocking passage to a long and winding road to the castle, cast in dark shadows in the pale light of the full moon above. As he placed his hand upon the gates to push them open, a darkness began to flow into a physical shape not far, seen from the corner of Simon’s eye. The familiar apparition, the spirit known as Death, appeared from the shadows, scythe in hand and hood drawn over boney, skeletal face. “Another castle, another misguided Belmont.” The Reaper’s voice was near a hiss, barely audible, as if a whisper in the wind. “But of course, the circumstances of this night are vastly different from our past encounters- surely even a barbarian such as you can understand this.” “I am aware of the war going on, but I have no intentions of forgoing my duty.” Simon drew his whip, the fabled Vampire Killer, and glared into the emptiness of Death’s eyes. “Nor do I intend to die here, wraith.” Death seemed to always be present alongside Dracula’s forces, but its actual role and relationship with the vampire were unclear- it certainly had no interest in bringing the dark lord back to life during Simon’s last quest, for instance. The Reaper could be defeated, but never killed- but more unnerving than that, it was unpredictable. Even after generations of conflict, the Belmont’s still haven’t discovered anything about its motives or its ambitions, assuming it even had any. “I simply wish to ensure that you understand- the rules of the game have changed.” The Reaper drew its scythe, a shimmering purple light caressing it in the pale dark. “I didn’t want to devour your soul without you knowing the gravity of the situation.” With blinding speed, Death swung his scythe in an arc, planning to sever the Vampire Slayer’s head, but Simon had been prepared, for this was not his first time battling with Death. Rolling to one side while swinging the Vampire Killer at the same time, Simon’s holy weapon struck true- wrapping around the Wraith and drawing him in. With a quick thrust, Simon skewered the Reaper with one of his bladed crosses. Death was beginning to fade away, defeated once more- this time, however, he was clearly holding back. “As I said- I will not die today, Reaper.” Simon boldly declared, releasing the Whip’s hold. The Reaper seemed to smile- there was a faint laughter upon the wind, or merely the rustling of leaves blowing across the ground. “That’s what they all say, your clan, but I am nothing if not patient. You will not be the first Belmont that I claim, nor will you be the last.” The Wraith mocked as he faded away. “In the end, your time to pay the ferryman will come, for none can escape the clutches of Death.” With his foe faded completely, Simon holstered his whip on his belt and opened the gate, undeterred. The empty threats of an ineffectual spirit. Console Wars or no, Simon Belmont would slay Dracula. This was the only inevitability in his life... *** The town of Gallowmere was enjoying a kind of peace it hadn’t known in years- the evil wizard, Zarok, was finally dead, slain by the heroic knight Sir Daniel Fortesque. It took time for the town to recover- there were many dead to be buried, and the scars of battle were not so easily healed, but an air of peace had finally settled over the people, as it became clear that their nightmares were well and truly behind them. It would only be just, then, that the savior who had defended them all finally earn his proper rest as well. In life, Sir Dan was a coward and a liar, who lived an empty existence built on lies, and ended by an untimely arrow through the eye in his first real fight- but when Zarok attempted to bring Gallowmere’s dead back to life with necromancy, he returned the knight as well, and with his free will intact, Dan was forced to battle through Zarok’s forces and truly earn his place as the Hero the people were always lead to believe. Unfortunately for Dan, the life of a hero is not one that allows for peace and rest. He had finally earned his place in the Hall of Heroes, where it was intended for him to sleep and let a new hero take his place. Dan had entered his new tomb and sealed it behind him in 1386, but his sleep was interrupted with a flash of sudden foreign light, as the doors to his crypt opened seemingly of their own accord. Stumbling out into the Hall in a daze, the blinded Dan couldn’t help but trip over his magic sword, which had fallen to the ground when the doors opened. With a slam, Dan felt significantly lighter as he impacted onto the ground, his head separating from his neck, rolling down the hallway, hitting one of the other hero’s statues. “It’s good to see you’re finally up, Captain.” The statue of Canny Tim, Dan’s second-in-command in life, and one of the most skilled archers in the history of Gallowmere, addressed Fortesque. “They’ve been summoning for you for days.” “Summoning me?” Dan questioned, his voice a near incoherent mumble, as was the nature of the speech of one who lacked a jaw. Not that it seemed to bother anyone in Gallowmere. “I thought I was supposed to be sleeping.” “That’d be the case, normally, Dan man, but this be a special honor.” Another Hero spoke from across the Hall. Dirk Steadfast, the legendary knight, possessed a voice that carried with ease. “Don’t you know it’s War Time, Danny? Three great armies are gathering to duke it out, and one of ‘em is calling for you.” “What? Me?” Dan’s obscured voice gulped. “They want my help?” “Of course they do, sir- you’re the Hero of Gallowmere!” Tim smiled. “Their man’s been upstairs waiting for you. It’d be best not to make him wait any longer than your nap already has, Captain.” Dan supposed Tim had a good point- if this fellow would come all this way just to seek an audience requesting his aide, who was Dan to turn him away- besides, for once, he was be given patronage that he actually earned with hard work and skill in battle- and that felt good. Putting as much force into his thoughts as possible, he willed his torso down the hallway- the clumsy skeleton seemed to trip back and forth over itself, knocking over multiple urns and crashing into nearly every piece of wall one conceivably could, and then some. Finally, the headless body slammed into the statue of Tim, and began to grope at the floor aimlessly, kicking up dust and scattering assorted knick knacks and whatnots laying on the ground. “Down. Here.” Dan’s head grumbled in irritation, finally alerting his body to his position, allowing the torso to pick the decapitated skull up and place it back on his neck. Quickly recomposing himself and gathering his equipment, Dan made his way to see the man upstairs. “Ah, Sir Daniel Fortesque.” The man smiled happily as Dan awkwardly walked towards him. “It really has been too long.” “Have we met?” Dan asked, confused. “Not quite, ser knight, no. You may call me Kaz. I’m sure the others have already told you about our War, but I assure you, what I want is not simply your cooperation- what I have in mind is more in line with both of our interests.” Kaz paused for a brief moment. “There is a castle, not too far outside of Gallowmere. It has long been dormant- in fact, most of the time, it doesn’t even exist here. Not like this, at least. Nevertheless, this castle has been occupied by a powerful monster- a vampire lord who is so dreaded, so feared, that even your old foe Zarok would have quaked in fear at the mere mention of him. This vampire, as well as his foes and his associates, have a longstanding association with one of our enemies in this struggle, and we have reason to believe that they might align their services with the enemy once again. If Dracula raises his army, Gallowmere is one of the first settlements on his path of conquest, and it would surely fall- but if you strike now, while he is weakened and building his forces, you can prevail.” Dan gulped. A foe more powerful than even Zarok? He struggled with a powerful urge to rush down the stairs as quickly as his skeletal legs would carry him and jump back into his tomb, allowing sleep to wash over him and let him forget…but Dan knew he couldn’t just allow Gallowmere to fall. If this Dracula was as powerful as this man claimed, it was Dan’s responsibility to stop him- no matter the cost. After all- what kind of hero would he be if he ran from something like this? “I’ll do it.” Dan nodded, prompting an ecstatic and hearty laugh of relief and approval from Kaz. Making a few rounds around the Hall to gather some additional equipment for the journey, Sir Dan left the crypts behind, a new threat looming before him- and a new foe that he would never see coming… *** With a crack of his whip, another creature fell before the might of the vampire-slaying Belmont. He was only on the lower levels of the towering bastion Dracula had taken residence in, and he knew there would be a long journey ahead- but still... it was hard not to savor the moment as his enchanted Vampire Killer pierced through the hides of merfolk and werewolves alike- the weathered weapon having reached a point where it was far too powerful to be slowed by the likes of these vermin long ago. Simon was at his most natural state when he was out fighting the forces of darkness- he was doing what was right, in the name of his family and clan, to save the world- and there was nothing that could slow him down. As he struck down another creature, he saw a strange sight in the distance- a Skeleton Knight, like so many he had faced in combat before, but his one was fighting its own allies. With an elegant swipe, the knight thrust his sword forward into the stomach of a Zombie before him, impaling it and allowing him to crush its skull with his shield. With a kick, the Skeleton dislodged the zombie from his blade, an action that seemed to bring Belmont into his field of view. With a friendly wave, the knight began to stride in Simon's direction. *** Sir Dan had been fighting monsters seemingly without end in this bloody castle. It was to his great surprise after such hard combat, that he would encounter another individual that wasn't a mindless servant of the vampire lord here, but that's exactly what he found before him in the form of this whip-wielding barbarian warrior. "Greetings friend!" Dan called out to him, though as always, his lack of a jaw caused his words to come out as more of a mumble. Without hesitation, the barbarian drew his whip as if for combat, refusing to let his guard down. "I do not know why you turn on your own kind, monster, but be this some ruse of Dracula- know that I will not fall for it." "What? Ruse?" mumbled Dan. "I came here to kill the evil vampire!" Dan was barely able to bring his shield up in time to block the strike from Simon's whip- Fortesque knew he was hard to understand, but his time slumbering must have dulled his speech even more than he thought, for it was clear this warrior was unaware of Dan's intentions. He didn't want this fight- or any other fight, being perfectly honest, but he had to protect Gallowmere- so fight he would. Drawing his Battle Axe, Dan swung a crushing blow at Simon, only narrowly missing the vampire slayer. Using the heft of his weapon and the momentum of the missed attack, however, Dan was able to begin spinning rapidly in a fierce tornado-like flurry. Not expecting the technique, Simon was blindsided as the blunt face of the axe struck him in the chest, causing him to heave and sent him sprawling backwards. Deft and skilled in combat, however, Simon tucked into a roll, rising with his hand already engulfed in holy fire to cast his Sacred Flames spell. With a grunt, Simon hurled a ball of mystic fire into his spinning foe, which erupted with a crackling burst into a wall of flame. Dan backed out of the wall of fire that had grown from the ball- the heat unbearable inside his armor. The knight shuddered at the anguish he might feel had he still possessed lungs with which to choke on the smoke, or nerves to feel the pain as fire spread across flesh and burned to the bone- just the memory of it was enough to make the knight recoil, but never falter. Gripping his Axe with both hands, Dan lobbed it forward, through the flames with all his might. As it passed through the wall of fire, it caught into a blaze itself, and took Belmont by surprise in the process, as the weapon spun at him at a deceivingly quick speed for a weapon of its size. Attempting to duck and roll out of the way, Simon was only barely able to prevent the Axe from harming him- as it slashed at his shoulder as it traveled past him. Feeling the hot metal rake across him, even with his light armor, caused the Belmont to cry out in pain- dropping out of his roll on to one knee. Placing his Golden Shield ahead of him, Dan rushed forward following the weapon, in a deadly shield-charge that flattened Simon against the castle wall. As Dan held him in pace with the shield, he desperately tried again to reason with him. "I'm not your enemy- we're both here to kill the vampire!" Unfortunately, his mumbling made his words fall on deaf ears- and with a roar, Simon drove his wooden stake directly into Dan's eye, taking advantage of the knight's distracted state. With a startled yelp, Dan dropped his shield and stumbled backwards, leaving him open to a kick to the chest, knocking him backwards. "That was my eye, you bastard!" Dan groaned as he used both hands to pull the stake out. "Why would you do that?!" "I do not know what it is you are saying monster, but it matters not- I have faced far worse than you in my quest to slay your master, it will take more than a single skeleton to end the Belmont Clan's legacy." grabbing at his belt, Simon found his throwing knives and quickly tossed a handful of daggers in the reeling Knight's direction. Shield-less, Dan had to react quickly, drawing the first item he could from his weapon sheath to swat the blades away. With a might swing- Dan deflected the projectiles with a chicken drumstick- with one of the daggers impaling itself into the succulent meat. Dan sadly tossed the chicken aside, disappointed that his meal had been ruined, before charging back into the fray with the hammer of Thor. Seeing his foe charge to close the distance- Simon tossed a couple Holy Crosses, which embedded themselves in Dan's armor, seemingly with no effect. Having failed to stop Dan's closing in, Simon was punished with a powerful hammer strike to the stomach, causing him to double over, just in time to see the hammer spinning around in a 360 degree strike the slammed into the side of his head, sending him sprawling. Groggy, Simon felt his hair matted with dark blood from the wound. He knew he wouldn't survive another blow like that- Hell, he probably shouldn't have survived that one. Quickly, he swung his whip at the Skeleton, and was able to lash it around the hammer, pulling it from the knight's hand and sending it flying down the gothic hallway. Having temporarily disarmed the knight, Simon knew he only had one shot to finish this battle- or it would finish him. Rising up, despite the pain of his throbbing head and the blood pouring from his wounds, and charging the knight, drawing a throwing Axe in one hand- Simon prepared for a final leap. Dan scrambled to draw his bow and fire an arrow, but it was too late, and the arrow shot wide of the center mass of his target, allowing Simon to catch it and turn it around, stabbing the projectile into the armor-less armpit of the armor. Using the arrow as a place to keep his grip, Belmont took one of his handheld axes and placed it at the base of Dan's neck, using it to cut through and sever the Skeleton's head from his shoulders. As the skull flew into the air, Simon caught it with the Vampire Killer and swung it around with all the force that he could muster, throwing it into the torso- which, removed from the head, was now ineffectually stumbling around in a daze. Dan's skull slammed into his own torso, sending it hurtling to the ground with a crash- sending his other bones flying in multiple directions as he literally fell apart, before ricocheting through a window, outside. Simon Belmont stood triumphant over the forces of Dracula once again. As he stumbled forward, he knew that this battle was near fatal, and that he had only narrowly escaped with his life. He felt the need to vomit, and could feel the blood still oozing from his head and shoulder, dripping to the floor below with a rhythmic pattern. He leaned against a wall for support, and noticed familiar cracks in its surface- with a strike from his whip, he knocked that part of the wall down, revealing a full, smoking chicken sitting on a plate, ready to serve. Picking up the meat and biting into it, Simon felt strangely rejuvenated- allowing him to rise. By this point, the hordes of monsters that had cleared from the hallway to avoid the two fighters were beginning to creep back towards him, hoping for a weakened and easy prey. They would find no such luck on this day, as Simon readied the Vampire Killer for another bout. By his hands, the dread Dracula would die tonight- and no horde of monsters could stand between him and that fate. Meanwhile, Dan's skull had tumbled all the way down the castle, into the sewers below, where it had been collected by a horde of Fleamen. The strange, miniature creatures had scooped his head out of the muck and placed it atop a pile of jewels and coins- where they began to dance and bow before it in strange, jerking motions that left Dan distinctly uncomfortable. "Perfect." Dan grumbled. "Absolutely perfect." Expert's Opinion Sir Dan put up a brave fight against the vampire hunter, but he did fall in the end. Despite Sir Dan's obvious strength and durability advantages, he lacked the training, mobility, and experience Simon had. Belmont may not have had the armor or strength advantage Dan had, his own experience against supernatural monsters combined with his magical weapons gave him a victory in this close match. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here. 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